The draw has been made for the newly labelled FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup which will take place between 22 and 30 July in Udine and Cividale del Friuli, Italy.

USA will face China, Mali and the host nation in Group A and that throws up some interesting clashes during the initial phase of the competition. On paper, USA should continue to sweep aside everyone as they have done for so many years in this tournament. Remember they are chasing down a spectacular seventh successive title.

My initial gut is that the draw is good for USA because it does offer different styles from teams in three different continents and on paper at least, it should mean they will have to be prepared from the outset and ready to hit the ground running.

They should comfortably go 3-0 – that’s a no-brainer. But there is no room for complacency and that means it would not be advisable to skimp on preparation. Instead, I would be drawing on the failures at U16 level in 2015 and then at U17 level in 2016 to beef up the prep. A third straight failure at youth level is unthinkable – well, it is to me at least.

USA don’t just meet standards, I expect the best basketball nation on earth to set them. No excuses.

This is not a crown the USA should ever lose, since the difference in the maturity of players between 16 and 19 can be considerable. As the most advanced basketball nation and with the deepest pool of talent available, the expectation and indeed the outcome must continue to be that top step of the U19 podium.

So, with the sizeable caveat of not knowing the actual rosters, it’s always tough to make any kind of in-depth analysis, but nevertheless, here is a glance towards what you can expect to unfold in these quite beautiful Italian towns – only 90 minutes from Venice by the way!

USA could not have a better game to open with than Mali. I say that because while USA have always flattened African opponents, they are without fail, overly physical and sometimes brutally so. That’s just what is needed to push complacency back into the suitcase – just don’t go putting the gum shield back in there. The USA players will have to bring it mentally and physically from the outset. It sounds obvious of course, but I mean they really will.

The assumption will be that Mali will utilize some of their younger players and those who actually made history at U17 level in Zaragoza last year. It was historic because no African side had clocked up two wins in a global women’s youth event and Mali went further by recording three victories. In fact, it was the best African women’s basketball side I have ever seen at youth level.

I loved the game of Salimatou Kourouma who was a powerhouse and her tournament double-double was magnificent with more than 15 points and 10 rebounds per game. I appreciate that Rokia Doumbia is someone people Stateside are aware of and she didn’t show her best skills on Spanish soil, so if she does go to Italy, I hope she can take it up a gear.

You should also watch out for Adama Coulibaly who is a fearsome rebounder, while Aminata Diakite has some athleticism and both were in the All Star Five as Mali rode their way unbeaten to the FIBA Africa U18 Women’s Championship last summer.

It’s a similar story when it comes to China some 24 hours later. USA will be playing a continental champion who won their region’s title without a loss last year and who could also be physically challenging. The other similarity with Mali is that they also had some excellent players who stepped out in Zaragoza and you may remember that they made it all the way to the Semi-Finals. In fact, USA denied them a bronze medal with a 65-50 victory.

The main threat will come from the towering Han Xu who made the All Star Five in that tourney, while Wang Jiaqi showed enough in the backcourt to be a threat. She can do a little bit of everything and will be a main scorer and creator. Indeed, she was one of my favorite players from Zaragoza who didn’t get the headlines they deserved. They will be supplemented by Li Yueru, who missed the U17 tournament and she is another excellent prospect. She has been dominant in the Asian competitions and averaged a massive 14 boards per game in Bangkok as China went 7-0 last year at U18 level.

Finally, Italy will have the home support behind them and shouldn’t be taken for granted – even if they did finish in a disappointing seventh place at the FIBA U18 European Championship Women in Sopron last year. Continuing the theme of the Group, or at least USA’s opponents, their spine is also made up of the Zaragoza heroes who reached a historic first ever Final. Italy eventually lost out to a quite stellar Australian side, but silver was still a sweeter shade than the bronze USA had to settle for.

Leading the line will be two of their highly impressive frontcourt trio from last year at U17 level. Lorela Cubaj went to Zaragoza with the biggest reputation and yet I didn’t feel she quite lived up to the top billing.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHabByJgsXN/?tagged=fibau17

Still, after another season playing pro-level and EuroCup Women with a top Italian team in Umana Reyer Venezia, I think she can have an impact. Valeria Trucco was the real find off the bench for Italy and when she does the simple things well, she is very effective. She allows others to shine and has a load of upsides. She is one of my favorite youth players.

It remains to be seen if Sara Madera plays up at the global level again as she made the All Star Five in Zaragoza – even though she was still U16 eligible. There is plenty for the Italian Federation to think about and especially as 1998 born forward Elena Castello is rock solid and offers something in the paint too. So good health and fitness permitting, they will have a nice frontcourt rotation again whatever path they walk down when it comes to the roster.

As for the backcourt, Elisa Pinzan will continue to pull the strings again and she was up and down at times last summer, but remains a player with big potential who can hurt opponents with her passing and IQ.

So there you have it. Some initial notes and now just six months away, keep it locked to @basketmedia365 and @BlueStarMedia1 for more exclusive insight.

All photos: FIBA.com